Dance tracks that are ideal for changing tempo in a DJ set

I have been using tempo changes in my sets a couple of times already. I think that this is a great way to make a set more dynamic. In a club, when the DJ does a tempo change at the right point in time, this can really make a party go boom.

I have previously written about several ways to change the tempo in a set. I would like to add to this older article by naming some of my favorite tracks to do tempo changes. Here we go:

Far Too Loud – Faster Than Light

This one starts as a banging Electro House track, then morphs into a fast Drum&Bass track in a quite elegant way. You will probably have to mix out of this one by hand.

James Egbert – Chopper

This one is quite an anthem. It has three parts that sound quite different, but are still recognizable as the the same track: The first change comes at around 1:45, but we are still on a straight beat here. However, this could be a good opportunity to change the pitch a little – or even go down to 110-115 BPM. The real tempo change comes at 3:40 to Drumstep/Drum&Bass tempo. You will need to be quick to make a transition here, but it does work. My recommendation would be to follow with a Drumstep track or a half-tempo Drum&Bass-part here.

Katy B – Katy On A Mission

This track does not really have a tempo change, but you can easily do one with the intro part: If you use the intro part with the straight beats, you can easily change the tempo from 125-130 to 140 BPM and follow up with a Dubstep track then. I have used this in my Gearbox mix.

Camo & Krooked – History Of The Future

Slowing down is often more difficult than speeding up, but this track can help you do the trick: It starts as a fast Drum&Bass track, has a slower Electro House-part in the middle and goes back to Drum&Bass in the end. Can be used both to slow down and to speed up.

Buzzwak – Mumbling Music (Access Denied Remix)

This one has a very nice Dubstep-like part in the middle. You could synch this part to a Dubstep track, make the transition, adjust the pitch and you will end up at around 130 BPM. I used this transition in my Bass Magic mix.

Do you know any other tracks that help you speed up or slow down? Let us know in the comments!